A HIGH-FLYING businesswoman who was left unable to work after a devastating accident has become an entrepreneur by turning her hobby into a business.

Veronica Harnett held a senior management position with Connexions in Redcar, east Cleveland, until she fell down the stairs of her home last year and broke her back.

Ms Harnett, from Guisborough, was left on crutches for six months and was unable to return to her job.

Eager to get back into the business world, Ms Harnett used her love of cake making and her passion for fairlytraded products to set up ethical cake business Fairly Scrumptious, run from the kitchen of her home.

In her first few months of business, she has secured regular orders from within Guisborough through having her own market stall and website – fairlyscrumptious.co.uk – and is now looking to expand through the Tees Valley.

“I have always loved making cakes and used to read about people making a successful career out of their passion for baking, but because I had a good job which I enjoyed I never looked to pursue setting up my own business,” she said.

“I’m really excited about Fairly Scrumptious as I feel it is important for people to be able to buy cakes where the ingredients are ethically sourced and I saw a gap in the market for these products.”

Ms Harnett received help from Business Link in setting up her venture.